"Here from this bridge to space, our nation will return to the moon, and we will put American boots on the face of Mars," he added, drawing cheers and applause from the hundreds of space center workers, astronauts and dignitaries.
The highlight of Pence's afternoon tour his second NASA stop in as many months was his address to approximately 1,200 people inside the massive Vehicle Assembly Building, once used to stack moon rockets and space shuttles.
The backdrop included three capsules: the first SpaceX Dragon to carry supplies to the International Space Station, NASA's Orion that flew into space on a test flight, and a training version of Boeing's Starliner crew vessel.
[...] Pence said, "our government's commitment" has not matched the level of excitement for space that exists among the general public.
Flanked by two current astronauts, he walked down the hallway and out the door once used by Apollo and shuttle crews on their way to the pad on launch day.
Kennedy Space Center's director, Robert Cabana, a former shuttle commander, exited the same way a few minutes earlier, accompanied by NASA's acting administrator Robert Lightfoot.